Assassin of Smiles
by RIProductions
Summary: One day.. You might blame yourself for the same mistake you've blamed others for.
1. Silence before the storm

Assassin of Smiles: Chapter 1

"Get up and dance, get up and smile, get up and drink to the days that are gone in the shortest while." - Simon Fowler

Disclaimer: I do not own the Ace Attorney characters appearing in this story. The story itself is completely mine, though. Any connections to real life are purely accidently.

Laughter filled the house, the pure and innocent sounds of a child mixed the more mature notes of the father. Ilse Gavin looked up from her book with a small smile, she couldn't help but smile when she heard those two running through the house like that. Not to mentioned that soon there would be another life joining their peaceful family.

"Ray, Kristoph, could you come here for a minute of two?" she called. The echoes of her voice reaching throughout the whole house.

It was a beautiful house in the center of Berlin, though it wasn't as big as the houses around it. The houses counted a total of 3 floors, while most of the houses in the neighborhood was filed with houses with 4 floors. It didn't matter, though, since the house said nothing about the state of the people living in it. Most families living close to them were either already ripped apart when they came to live here, or were now.

The Gavin family was still happily together, though. Bound by an immense love for one another.

"Yes, mother?" the little Kristoph Gavin said, his blue eyes and platinum blonde hair resembled that of the man standing next to him. Apart from the age difference and length of their hair, they could have been brothers. Kristoph had short hair, reaching no further than his ears, and had just reached the age of 8 two months ago. Her husband, Ray Gavin, had hair reaching over his shoulder, though. It was kept together in an elegant but evil looking horn of some kind that rested on the left side of his chest. He would soon turn 40.

"Take a seat, sweetheart." Ilse said, looking at her son. After that she send her husband a look he surely would understand. And he did, based on the understanding nod he send back before taking his place next to her. It was time to tell him.

"Kristoph.." Ray started. "Do you remember that we talked about where babies come from?" Kristoph nodded, his parents had never believed that it was good that things like that should be kept from a child. He had the right to know where things came from.

Along with that knowledge, his father had told him that real love only came ones. Though he wouldn't understand love for a long time from now, it was important for him that when he found the One he wouldn't forsake that person, wouldn't break her heart and would protect her from all dangers. It was his duty as a male.

"There is going to be another baby here, Kristoph." Ilse told him with a little smile. She put her hand on her stomach, though nothing could be seen yet. "You'll get a baby brother."

Both Ray and Ilse knew that all children react different on the news of a brother or sister. They had discussed the matter for over a months now, but only after they were sure that Kristoph was sound asleep.

In the end they had just decided to tell him and see how he would react, it couldn't be that bad could it?

In the end.. They shouldn't have worried. All Kristoph did after he heard the news was stay quiet, consumed in his thoughts.

It wasn't until his father interrupted his thought with the questioning sound of his name that he let them know he in fact had heard them.

He smiled.

It was the most adorable smile his parents had ever seen of him and it melted their hearts, just like the moment he had melted their hearts when he first smiled.

Kristoph his smile, his _true_ smile, wasn't something they saw very often. It wasn't that he wasn't happy with the way he lived his life, it was more that he wouldn't just smile without a reason.

Yes, some people would call Kristoph a complicated child. He was incredibly clever for his age, something that was supported by him wearing glasses, and seemed to have a talent for anything involving logic. That, together with his rare smile, led people to often think that he was 12 rather than 8. Or maybe older.

His body was that of an 8-year old, though. He still looked at the world with eyes filled with innocence, as if he was not capable of lying.

To his parents.. He was the best thing that ever happened to them. They couldn't even start imagining how his brother would look.

They knew that it would be a boy by now, the echo had provided them with that knowledge, but his appearance was a mystery. Would he look like his father, blonde with blue eyes, like Kristoph did? Or would he look more like his mother with her green eyes and eternal beauty.

His hair was easy to guess. It would probably be the same platinum blonde color that all of those in the Gavin family had.

"Well, if that was all than I can get back to giving Kristoph his music lessons. Or is there more, darling?" Ray said, looking at his wife. She chuckled, he knew perfectly well that there was nothing more. "No, go ahead and give him the same music-fetish that you have." Ilse smiled at him.

"With pleasure, ma'am." Ray saluted for her, a big grin on his face. "Come Kristoph."

Kristoph just nodded, looking up at his father. Together, they disappeared onto the stairs.

"I must be lucky.." Ilse said to herself in a soft tone, picking up her book again. "A loving husband, an incredible son."

She touched her stomach again.

"And soon yet another man to join our family.."

"Father..?" Kristoph said, while he waited for his father to close the door of the music room.

"Yes, Kristoph?" Ray said, doing just that.

"How will my brother be called?"

Ray blinked, taken aback by the question. Though Kristoph had always been closer to his father than to his mother, he had never showed such a curiosity to any of them.

Well, he had a few times.. But that was years ago.

Kristoph was waiting patiently for his father to recover and answer his question.

"We don't know yet, son." He said after a minute of two. "Did you discuss it with mother already?" Kristoph asked.

"No, not yet."

"Do you have any wishes at what it will be?"

"Yes.. In fact I do. I would like my youngest son to be called Klavier. Your mother always complains about my fetish for music.. But I just know that she will secretly like the idea."

Kristoph nodded slowly, after which he pushed his glasses a bit higher onto his nose. "I see. I actually prefer the violin above the piano."

Ray chuckled. "But don't you agree that Klavier sounds like a better name than Geige?"

"Who ever said that I was still talking about that topic, father?" Kristoph asked, his head tilted to the left just a bit. "I was simply telling you my taste of instruments."

The little Gavin had a small grin on his face.

This time it was only the laughter of her husband that Ilse Gavin could hear from upstairs. She couldn't even begin to guess what had just occurred, though.


	2. Accidents happen

Assassin of Smiles: Chapter 2

"Life is pain, anyone who says differently is selling something. " - William Goldman

Disclaimer: I do not own the Ace Attorney characters appearing in this story. The story itself is completely mine. Any connections to real life are purely accidently.

Time had passed rather quickly for the Gavin family, it was winter now. Snow was covering the busy roads in and around Berlin, their house, the pretty and tiny gardens.

Inside the house there were several small signs for the outside world that pointed to the baby that was soon to be born. Ilse had been pregnant for a little over 7 months now, which could be seen rather easily.

Ray was finishing up with painting the room for the baby, it was a dark color purple with some black accents. Though the room was simple, it radiated a promising aura. Both parents were sure that their kid.. Their **kids**, would do great things in the future.

Kristoph was beginning to show more and more interest in law. He was reading rather easy books about law all day long.

He had complained to his father, ones, about why he didn't get to read books that were harder. He wanted to learn more, know more. Gain knowledge.

That was probably also the reason why he spend more time on school than at home these days. So it happened.. That today as well, he wasn't at home yet.

Nobody was worrying about him anymore, though, which was a difference from when he first had decided to stay a few hours longer.

"_**Fuck!**_" exclaimed Ray suddenly.

"Darling..? Is everything alright?" Ilse came walking into the hallway from out of their bedroom.

"Yes.. Yes.. Everything is fin- _**Auw!**_"

"Are you sure..? You don't sound 'fine'."

Ilse entered the room, the floor was covered with old newspapers. Most of these were German, though there were some British and American newspapers as well.

Some paint cans were standing in a corner, some open and others closed.

The remarkable thing about the room weren't the cans of paint of the newspapers, though… Right now the most remarkable thing in the room was Ray, covered in paint and holding his right ankle with his hands, entangled with a stepladder. He seemed to be in pain.

"..What were you doing again? I was under the impression that you were doing the safe job of painting your son his room, which was- how did you say it again - 'the safest job you could do'?" Ilse asked, crossing her arms.

The situation was too interesting for her to do something at this point. He would need to ask.

"Well.. I thought so too.. But I was wrong. Could you now please help me..?" Ray asked, his teeth clenched.

"Yes, yes, I will." She smiled before walking towards her husband and helping him to stand up. And help he needed, alright. Ray had to grab her arms two times to make sure he didn't fall back to the floor. He also seemed to avoid standing on his right foot.

"Could you now tell me exactly _what_ happened to you, sweetheart?" she asked, looking at his face.

"Could we first go downstairs.. ? I really need to sit down." He pleaded.

And so they did, with Ilse her help Ray managed to walk through the room, to the hallway and from there down the stairs. Once he was downstairs, the first chair he saw was to be occupied by his butt.

While his wife sat down opposite to him, Ray started telling her what happened.

"Well, I was just re-painting a part of the wall again when, well.. I guess that I slipped. I felt my feet slipping away from under my body, I heard the ladder fall and suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my ankle."

"It was a stepladder." Ilse said. He looked at her as if she had just said that she was leaving him for another man.

Very surprised, but also a bit angry.

"Are you serious..? I just fell 4 meters of so.. To hit the floor and do I don't know what to my ankle.. And you're complaining about me having said ladder instead of _step_ladder?"

"Yes."

"…Okay." He shrugged.

"Anyway, does it hurt a lot?" she asked, smiling. "A bit, yes…" He told her, looking at the cause of his pain. "Then we'll pay the doctor a visit tomorrow morning. I don't think that it's very serious, but it's better to have someone check it." Ilse said. "And now.. Would you like some ice cream because I have to pity you?"

Ray smiled and nodded. He had been the one that had started giving Kristoph ice cream if he had been hurt more than average. "Yes, please."

The next morning, Ray and Ilse went to the doctor. Their doctor, Dr. Smith, ran a clinic not far from their home. It was a rather small clinic with not many returning clients, so when the two came in only one other patient was waiting to be called by Dr. Smith.

"Hello." Ilse said politely, before taking a seat. Ray only gave the other waiting person, a woman around her thirties, a nod with his head. Then, he said down next to his wife. During the night his ankle had swollen and it was now thicker and redder than before. Because he couldn't wear his right shoe anymore, Ray only wore a sock. He did wear a left shoe, though.

It didn't take long before the woman disappeared into the chamber of Dr. Smith. Ray took some time to study his surroundings.

The walls were of wood, the floor covered with red carpet. The whole waiting room gave the feeling as if you were sitting in a little house on top of a mountain covered with snow, the kind of house they would only see if they went onto a holiday to Sweden, Switzerland or Norway.

The furniture in the room was simple, benches against three of the walls and a small table with chairs around it in the middle of the room. The benches and chair were the same kind of color red as the carpet was.

There were some papers chattered around the table, they were either about medical related topics or were newspapers. Nothing seemed important enough to read.

"Mr. and Mrs. Gavin?" Ray looked up, recognizing the voice of the doctor. Sam Smith was a kind, old man. His hair was almost white and he wore a lab coat, with normal jeans and a grey shirt underneath it.

Ilse and Ray stood up simultaneously. "Good morning, Mr. Smith." Ilse said, a kind smile covering her face. "Come, then we'll start." The doctor said.

They followed him into his examination room, Ray luckily got a bit of help of his wife. After they all took a seat, Dr. Smith looked at Ray.

"Based on your ankle I presume you're my patient today, Mr. Gavin?" It wasn't really an answer, so the doctor also didn't get an answer.

"What happened to it?"

"I fell of a stepladder." Ray glanced at his wife, who sat on her chair with a little smile. "I'm not sure what happened during the fall.. But my ankle ended up the way it is now."

"I see." Dr. Smith said, then he moved his chair a bit closer to Ray. "Mind if I take a look?"

Ray shook his head. "Of course not, Dr. Smith."

Smith carefully examined the ankle, trying not to hurt his patient if he could help it. "It seems to be broken. I would suggest going to the hospital to make a photo, since there isn't much I can do about it." He said. "I'll write a note for one of the doctors at the hospital. Just ask for Dr. Daniel Henderson."

After Dr. Smith was done writing the memo for his colleague, the Gavins left. They had come by foot, since it was about a 5 minute walk from the clinic to their house, but now they had wished they had gone by car.

Not only because they now knew for sure that Ray shouldn't use his foot if he could help it, but also because they would have to go home now and get their car.

They did, though. It took 10 more minutes than it would have taken them if Ray could walk normally, but they got home. To their surprise, Kristoph was home.

"Kristoph?" Ilse said surprised. "What are you doing at home? As far as I'm concerned you should be on school right now. Aren't you feeling well, dear?"

"I'm fine, mother. The teachers aren't, though. It seemed as if they all ate something wrong yesterday." Kristoph said. "All the teachers have got food poisoning, so we were send home."

"Oh, I see. We'll need to leave soon again, dear. I need to take your father to the hospital."

"The hospital? Why do you need to go to the hospital, father?" Kristoph asked. "I seemed to have broken my ankle yesterday. I told you about that accident I had, right?" Ray asked.

His son nodded. "Dr. Smith said that we should make a photo at the hospital, so we're going there now." Ray explained. Kristoph nodded again.

"Alright. Then I'll excuse myself now. I need to finish my book." With that, Kristoph walked up the stairs.

"Anyway.. Let's go." Ilse said, she picked up the car keys from their usual spot on the table that stood against the wall of the hallway.

Half an hour later, they were waiting again. This time it wasn't the waiting room of Dr. Smith's clinic, though. It was one of the many waiting rooms in the main hospital of Berlin.

While Dr. Smith's waiting room was welcoming, the room they were in now was everything but that. The walls and floor were white, the tables and chairs were white, the doors and windows were white. It was all white. Of course this was common for a hospital, and most people wouldn't have been bothered about it.. But Ray had a different opinion. It wouldn't have been a problem if he had even remotely liked the color white, but he didn't. Ray hated the color white.

He couldn't explain why… But he just did. In his opinion, black was way better.

That's why he felt saved when they finally, after having waited for more than 20 minutes, were called in by the doctor, Dr. Henderson. While the waiting room had different a lot, there couldn't have been more of a difference between the doctors themselves. Daniel Henderson's hair was black, he strangely enough wore a suit, and everything about him gave them the feeling as if he was a mean, young man. Young, that's something that he was for sure. Probably in his twenties.

"Come, hurry. We don't have all day." He said, while leaning against the door pose. He looked bored, very bored.

After he had closed the door, Henderson walked to his desk and sat down on top of it. Ilse gave him the memo that Dr. Smith had written.

"Ugh.. Smith again. He always gives me his patient.. Thinking I like him.." Henderson muttered softly to himself, though it was loud enough for both Ray and Ilse to easily understand every single word he said. Something told Ray that he did it on purpose.

"A broken ankle? We'll see about that. Come with me." The doctor stood up again, walking to the door. He didn't seem to care about the fact that his patient could hardly walk even if he was following at all.

It was a miracle that Ilse and Ray didn't lose sight of him on their way to the Rontgen section where the photo would be made.

Luckily, the nurses at that particular section were a lot nicer. They listen to the two Gavins, took care of Ray his ankle, and made the photo without hurting him. Now all they could do was wait.

They were both pretty sure that the ankle indeed was broken by now, though there was no way of knowing in what kind of way.

A quarter of an hour passed, Dr. Henderson hadn't shown himself anymore and they weren't told anything about the photo yet. Not yet, at least.

"Mr. Gavin..?" They both turned their head towards where the sound was coming from. It was a young nurse, dressed in pink. She shyly stood near the door, looking at them. "We got the results of the photo.. Dr. Henderson asked me to handle the rest.."

"Great, let's hear it shall we?" Ilse said, knowing that the nurse was too shy to start about it on her own.

She nodded, holding out a file towards Ray. "That's the photo." She said. "Please open the file, then I'll tell you about it."


	3. Surgery will fix everything

Assassin of Smiles: Chapter 3

"Truth, like surgery, may hurt, but it cures." - Han Suyin

Disclaimer: I do not own the Ace Attorney characters appearing in this story. The story itself is completely mine. Any connections to real life are purely accidently.

Ray and Ilse Gavin drove back to their home. The car was filled with silence, outside there was not much to see apart from people walking over the streets and the buildings passing by.

Ilse was driving, since now it was very important for him not to use his foot.

Half an hour earlier..

"You will need to have an operation, Mr. Gavin." The nurse told them. Then, she pointed at some places on the Rontgen photo in front of the two married Gavins. "The ankle is broken in 3 different places and although the fractures are small they can cause further damage if they don't heal correctly. That is exactly the reason why we would strongly suggest that you have an operation to put everything neatly back together."

Ray nodded slightly. "I see."

"An operation like that.. That's not dangerous, is it?" Ilse asked, she wouldn't know what to do if something were to happen to her husband.

"The operation indeed is not dangerous. The doctors won't touch anything beside the ankle, so there is absolutely no risk involved." The nurse told them. "We do need to know if you would prefer general anesthesia or local anesthesia, Mr. Gavin."  
>"I would prefer the general anesthesia. I don't think it's very pleasant to watch people cutting in your ankle.." Ray said with a little smile.<p>

The nurse nodded. "Okay, then I'll tell the doctors that. For now you're done here. You can make an appointment for the operation downstairs, in the main lobby." After those words, she left the two.  
>"Darling.. Promise me one thing." Ilse said. "What is it?" Ray asked, he was rather curious.<p>

"Don't ever fall of a stepladder again."

Ray laughed softly. "Alright, then. I'll try."

After that, Ray and Ilse had made an appointment. The operation would be in a week, on Friday. At this moment, Ray was looking out of the car window with the papers in his hand.

"I guess that finishing painting the baby room will have to wait.." Ray said quietly.

"Yeah, that seems to be the case. Maybe you should ask someone else to finish it for you." Ilse suggest. "But not me, of course. I'm too busy doing other things."

"Of course I wouldn't ask you, my dear. You're pregnant, after all. Everything that you should do is lying on the couch with a book and let me take care of you." Ray smiled at her, turning his head away from the window.

Ilse just smiled back at him for a short moment, since she had to pay attention to the road.

"That's sweet of you to do, dear. But don't forget to take care of yourself. I know how you are…"

"Hmpf. I'll be fine. Nothing to worry about." Ray said in a carefree tone. "If you say so, darling…" She said. "By the way, what are we going to do with Kristoph?"

"About the operation, you mean? We'll just tell him. He's old enough to understand the concept of having an operation and there is no risk involved anyway." Ray said.

"Okay, but you'll have to tell him yourself. He likes you better anyway." Ilse said with a little smile.

"He likes you too." Ray said. "I know, I know. But you can't tell me that you haven't noticed that he likes his father more." Ilse told him.

"Hm.. Maybe. No, okay. You indeed are right. I'll talk to him."

"Good boy."

Once they arrived home, Kristoph was nowhere to be seen.

"He's probably in his room, reading." Ilse said. "Yeah, I guess he is. The little book worm." Ray chuckled softly. After that, he walked upstairs. In the hospital then had given him a pair of crutches to walk with, they indeed made it easier and saved him from most of the pain.

"Kristoph?" he called when walking through the hallway.

"I'm in my room."

Kristoph's voice indeed seemed to come out of his room. Ray opened the door.

"Hey, son. What are you reading?" he asked.

"Last Will and Testament Kit, written by Leolin Prince, Richard Dew, Neil, Clerk and Murray." Kristoph answered without looking up from his book. He was lying on his stomach on his bed, facing the door.

"Could you put it away for a little while? I need to talk to you." Ray said. Kristoph nodded slightly, folded a corner of the page and closed the book. After that he stood up and placed the book back into his cabinet. He turned to his father.

"Yes?"

"Kristoph," Ray started. "Your mother and I went to the hospital this morning and it turned out that my ankle indeed is broken. I'll need to have a surgery to let it heal nicely."

Kristoph nodded ones. "I see. Based on your information it will be a surgery with little to no risk involved."

"Indeed, that's the case. I just thought that I should tell you, since I will probably spend the night in the hospital after the surgery." His father said.

"When will you have your surgery, father?"

"It will be next week, on Friday I believe."

Kristoph nodded again. "Was that all?" he asked. "Well, yes. You can return to reading your book again." Ray told him.

After he finished the conversation with his son, Ray slowly walked back to the living room. The crutches were bothering him a bit by then. "Stupid things… Normal walking is way better.." he muttered underneath his breath.

Entering the room, he looked around. Ilse was nowhere to be seen, but based on the delicious smell coming from the kitchen she had started making dinner.

Ray had offered to make dinner multiple times, now that she was pregnant again, but she had always refused with a smile.

"If I even let you do the cooking, what's left for me to do?" she would say. "We're a family, so we should support each other and divide the tasks equally. Even when someone is pregnant."

Ray smiled slightly at the recalling of those memories. Normally there were all kinds of varieties to her speeches, but not to this one. It stayed the same, always. Even when she was pregnant of Kristoph.

He walked into the kitchen. "Hello, dear."

"Hey, sweetheart." Ilse answered, she was cutting carrots into small pieces.

"Say, Ilse.. Shouldn't we think of a name?" Ray said. "I thought you would never ask." Ilse quickly glanced at him, a smile on her face. "Any ideas already?"

"Well, yes. I actually have one idea."

"Tell me."

"Wouldn't it be nice to call him 'Klavier'?"

"Ray.." Ilse said, stopping with her work and turning to him. "You want a child to be called Klavier? _Piano_?"

"Well, yes. I know that you secretly like my music-fetish." Ray said with a little smile. "That I do, yes. But it's a bit weird, don't you think..?" She said.

"Please?" Ray pouted. Ilse sighed softly.

"We'll talk about it later, okay?" she said.

"Okay.. But do consider the idea."

"I will, dear, I will."

The week following after that was peaceful, nothing special happened and life continued like it always had. Kristoph went to school, Ray was lucky that he could do his work at home and Ilse didn't waste a minute about thinking of name or considering her husband's idea.

Before they knew it, the day had come. Friday. The surgery was planned to start at half past 4. Both Ilse and Ray that it was pretty late, but as the latter had stated multiple time: "There is nothing we can do about it."

Even though the surgery started at that time, Ray was told to be at the hospital around a quarter to 4, just to go through some last things.

Things were going just as planned, Ray had a bag with some things with him, he had said 'bye' and 'I love you' to both his wife and son, something he did almost every time he left, was just a little bit nervous and wasn't showing it. Right now all he had to do was walking to the car, let Ilse drive him to the hospital and sleep.

"Come on, dear. We need to get going." Ilse said to him, holding the door open for him and carrying his bag. "I'm coming, I'm coming." Ray said while he walked to the door and, after that, to the car.

After they both got into the car it was off to the hospital. It was rather busy on the road since it was Friday. They got stuck in a traffic jam or three before finally arriving at their destination.

There, only Ray got out of the car. Ilse would have to get back home to start making dinner already. She had decided to make curry the hard way, which would take about an hour.

"Bye." Was all she said before she waved and Ray closed the door. Before she knew it she was on her way back home, not worrying about a thing. There were more traffic jams then before, but she wasn't bothered about them. The stereo in the car was playing 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls, though the music was mixed with the notes of a dance number from another car that had turned the volume up way too much.

Altogether, it was a normal ride back home.

She starting making dinner, called Kristoph to help her and together they made curry rice for just the two of them.

The had a nice conversation while eating, until the phone interrupted it.

Ilse stood up with a soft sigh and walked to the phone. She picked up the horn.

"Mrs. Gavin speaking?" she said.

"Hello, madam." Said the voice on the other side. "This is the St. Hedwig hospital."


	4. The darkness inside

Assassin of Smiles: Chapter 4

"Is there life before death?" - Graffito

Disclaimer: I do not own the Ace Attorney characters appearing in this story. The story itself is completely mine. Any connections to real life are purely accidently.

"Mother? What happened?" Kristoph said from his place at the dinner table. His mother was still standing at the same spot as a few minutes ago, when she had picked up the phone.

The phone itself was now lying on the floor, broken because of the impact with the ground when it fell. From when it fell from the hands of a woman.

Ilse her eyes were dilated in shock, her breath stuck in her throat. Every breath she took felt like a stab of a knife.

"Mother?"

"Shut up, child!" she shouted. Her angry voice echoed through the room. "Be silent! Go to your room!"

Kristoph looked at her, silenced by shock and surprise. This couldn't be the woman that had brought life to him. This couldn't be the woman that had tought him those things about respect for others that he knew. This couldn't be his mother.

No, this was a demon.

She wouldn't have shouted at him while he only asked something. She would have answered his questions patiently.

But all this demon did was shout at him, she shouted and shrieked about things he did not understand.

He wanted to get away from her, he wanted silence. A place where nothing could bother him, a safe haven to where the voice of this demon didn't reach.

All that he had was the safety of his room, though. The silencing thickness of the walls and the protection of his locked door. The silencing darkness that would close on into him. The darkness that would embrace him and take away all his worries.

That why he ran. Out of the room where the shouting continued, through the hallway and up the stairs. Slowly the voice became harder to hear, silenced by the comforting distance. When he finally reached his room he locked it, then he took cover underneath the sheets of his bed.

It seemed far too big now, that bed. It no longer felt safe, it seemed to threaten him. As if it would take away the safety of his room, the comforting of the familiar surroundings.

Kristoph softly started to cry. He felt confused and afraid, while the sounds of breaking glass and furniture reached his ears from downstairs.

They didn't stop, those sounds. Not until his eyes slowly closed and his body relaxed. He was taken to the world of dreams. Dreams that would bring him comfort while his body tried to recover from the shredding of tears all night.

He didn't notice the bell that rang during the night not did he notice that the voice of his mother slowly died down into soft crying. The lights and the siren of an ambulance didn't manage to interrupt the dreams of the little boy.

Kristoph also didn't notice the loud knocks on his door or the unfamiliar voice that shouted his name.

No, he only woke up when the early light of the sunrise hit his eyes. It brought him some kind of comforting warmth that slowly spread across his whole body. He had even forgotten what had occurred the night before.

He yawned and sat up straight in his bed, wondering why he hadn't closed the curtains the day before. Then he got out of his bed, though that yet again left him to wonder about something. Why hadn't he changed into his pajamas?

He didn't feel like bothering about it, though, so without complains he walked out of the room and down the stairs.

Once he got there… It was a lot easier to remember what had happened the night before. The hall was a mess, a complete and utter mess. There were hardly any pieces of furniture left untouched by the anger of his mother, _that demon_.

Most of them were either broken, ragged or just totally destroyed.

This wasn't what bothered Kristoph the most, though… Since the thing that bothered him was why. _Why_ had she suddenly broken down and had become an angry, unreasonable piece of shit?

He didn't know, and this was because she never told him. She would never tell him. He would be left alone in the darkness of unknowingness.

Or at least… That's what he thought. And it might have been better if those thought had become reality. Maybe then it wouldn't have all become a mess, like it was now. Then he would have been bothered about not knowing, while now.. He was bothered because he knew. Angry because he was told that one thing that had crushed the woman he had seen as a symbol of peace.

But he was told.

Once he had calmed down from the shock of seeing the rampage in the hallway he had made his way through the debris of the hallway and into the living room. He had expected to see his mother there, maybe asleep or reading a book. But he had not expected to see what he did, the living room was crowded. He did see his mother, awake, but also men and women in different kind of uniforms -there were some nurses, some cops. There was even a lady in a black suit, a lawyer maybe?- who were talking to her and each other.

A man in his late twenties saw Kristoph standing in the doorpost and walked to him. "Hello, little boy. You must be Kristoph." Without waiting for him to answer, the man just continued talking. "Would you mind coming with me for a little while? I've got a secret to share with you."

Kristoph just looked at him, most kids of his age would be glad to be told a secret nobody else had heard.. But he actually didn't care that much. He only nodded because it would be impolite to tell a stranger that he did not care about his secrets.

"Let's go, then." The man said. "Your room might be the best place to tell you."

Yet again, Kristoph nodded. He led the man to his room without as much as a word.

Once they were inside and had taken a seat on his bed, the man stayed silent.

They both were waiting for the other to say something.

After a minute or two the man sighed softly. "Kristoph.. Do you know what it means when people die?"

"But of course I do, sir. I'm not stupid, after all." Normally he would have been a bit annoyed because the man had the nerve to think he didn't know what such a simple thing as death meant. But something in what he said was bothering Kristoph.. Why would a complete stranger start about death?

"I think it's better to tell you directly, then. I won't bother about the details and facts, nor will I be gentle with you." Said the man. Kristoph nodded.

"Kristoph.. Your father died last night due to the surgery had was undergoing. We do not know how, or why, but it happened."

It took a long time for Kristoph to register the meaning of those words, but when he did.. His whole world came crushing down.

"..Liar." he whispered, his soft voice was a bit raspy. "He can't have died. He promised!"

Kristoph just didn't want to believe it. He couldn't. His father would never leave him alone, the surgery was without risk.. It couldn't be true. Impossible.

"He said that he would stay with me!" Kristoph was shouting now, though all the nameless stranger did was staying silent. Somehow that silent brought comfort, but with comfort came reasoning.. And with reasoning came the bitter truth he could not deny.

His father did die, he left him alone to grow up. His other son would grow up without knowing his father, his oldest with missing the man he could look up to.

Out of all the emotions he felt at that moment there were two that took the upper hand.

Sadness and betrayal.

He knew that this feeling of betrayal would fade because of the passing of time, but this sadness… That burning sadness…

It was nothing like anything he had ever felt before. It made the tears stream down his open eyes without a way to stop them, it made him look like the vulnerable 8-year old he was.

He was just sitting there, crying on his bed with the company of a stranger. Nothing could have prepared him for this news.

After a while the man stood up and lifted Kristoph up in his arms. The child didn't care anymore, he wrapped his arms around the neck of this stranger with no significance to him and cried even louder in his shoulder. That shoulder blocked out all the light coming from the window and left him to see nothing but darkness. He felt like it didn't matter if he saw the light or if he didn't, though. All he could see was darkness anyway.

What would become of his future if there was no longer a father in his life that would advise him in everything and would help making those difficult choices that would surely come?

He needed his father to walk into the room and tell him it was all just a joke. A horrible and cruel joke. His father would be the spark that would change the darkness he saw back into light.

"Papa.." he softly whispered. His voice was soft and muffled, barely hearable actually.

The man still didn't say anything, he just hold the little boy in his arms that started crying yet again. He knew how this boy must feel.. He had been there himself. What he held in his arms was merely yet another child who had lost his father, yet another person he had to tell horrible news and yet another crying kid on this damned earth.

He might have had sympathy for the kid, were it not that he had gotten used to it over the years. And he knew that it wouldn't stop with this child. It would happen over and over again, no matter what.

People died and that was it. He didn't care anymore and would be glad when his time finally came.

"It will be alright.." he finally said.

"You shouldn't lie." The boy suddenly said, his voice had a cold tone to it. "Any fool can tell the truth, but it requires a man of some sense to know how to lie well. And how I see it.. You are a fool."

The man blinked. Did that kid really just said that..? To _him_?

"W-what?" is what he said because of that. "You heard me. Now put me down." Kristoph said. That cold tone in his voice was still present.

The man slowly did as he was told and put the little kid back to him feet.

"Now leave."

Yet again he did as he was told. He was astonished… Not even once had someone reacted like this before. Maybe the boy needed time to get it all back together.

Though he somehow didn't believe that himself… The tone in which that boy had spoken to him had been too cold and too harsh to be caused by the death of a parent.

It might have been that faithful day that Kristoph Gavin's true colours had begun to show themselves.


	5. Tears of snow

Assassin of Smiles: Chapter 5

"Do not pity the dead. Pity the living and above all, those who live without love." - Albus Dumbledore

Disclaimer: I do not own the Ace Attorney characters appearing in this story. The story itself is completely mine. Any connections to real life are purely accidently.

A day passed, then another one. Ilse had grown cold towards Kristoph, she slowly created a mental distance between the two of them. He didn't care, though. He didn't care about anything anymore. At first he had showed interest, asking his mother why she destroyed the house like she did. He knew that something else must have happened as well, normally she wouldn't have freaked out like that.

There was no response to his questions. This made him grab onto the dark loneliness that had surrounded him since that day even more, he embraced and encouraged it. Made it grow bigger and stronger.

Kristoph grew cold as well, only spoke when someone asked him a question, never smiled. If anyone would look into his eyes, they would see a mixture of pain, loneliness and coldness. But no sadness would be present. He had passed that point of emotions already.

While he locked himself up in his room for a day, the day he had turned cold towards the agent trying to help him, his mother was busy. Busy planning an event she hadn't wished to plan this soon, or ever.

Ray Gavin's funeral.

Ray had told her multiple times that he wanted to be buried, preferably underneath a blooming cherry blossom tree. This wasn't an option. The cold winds of winter wouldn't allow the trees to blossom, the branches were bare. She could fulfil a part of the wish, though. She would find a cherry blossom under which he would rest an eternity.

Planning the funeral was something that was very difficult for Ilse, she would need to admit his death for it. Doing this while she knew that she would still wait for him to come home in the evening was the same as lying. She knew he was still alive, something she kept telling herself.

She still planned, though. Each hour that passed, bringing her closer to the date she would have to say goodbye to the man she had spent a great part of her life with, made her realise the fearful and painful truth more and more.

He was dead and wasn't coming back.

The silence in the Gavin house kept staying that, silence, until that day. The 13th of December, 2002. The day of the funeral.

Kristoph woke up early in the morning, just after sunrise. He kept lying in bed for over an hour, just staring at the ceiling of his room. Suddenly there was a soft knock on the door, he wouldn't have heard it if he would be sleeping.

"Kristoph. Breakfast."

It was his mother, speaking to him directly for the first time in 2 days. She wouldn't get an answer, though, and she knew. Her footsteps slowly faded away.

Slowly he got out of bed and dressed himself, a tiny, black suit without tie, then he headed to the bathroom. Fixing his hair didn't take long, despite of that he stayed in the bathroom for 10 minutes. He was just looking at the mirror, at the boy looking back at him in the bathroom that seemed lighter than the one he was in. It almost looked like another world, a brighter and happier one. A world in which the boy would soon walk away because his father had called him, telling him breakfast was getting cold.

In the world he was in, the dark world, he knew this wouldn't happen. It wouldn't happen ever again.

Something inside him wanted that mirror to let him in, into the Light World. There was another part, a darker part, that wanted to stay. That dark part of him felt comfortable in this Dark World he was in, it felt safe. Here.. He wouldn't have to leave the darkness that embraced him, he wouldn't have to step into the light.

He finally turned away from the mirror and had breakfast. No words were spoken between the family, no comforting touches were shared.

They would be following the car with the coffin, covered in red roses, in another car. That way they would drive to the cemetery. The sky was grey and clouded, it might snow soon.

It was an unusual quiet ride to the outskirts of Berlin, hardly any traffic. Once they arrived they got out of the car, here and there Kristoph recognised some faces. Most people had known his father through work, others were family and friends.

The group all stood together, looking while 6 men took the coffin out of the car. Kristoph knew 2 of them, his uncle and a close friend of his late father. He figured that the others had to be from work, or maybe friends that only visited late at night when he was asleep.

They lifted the coffin out of the car, careful to not disturb the flower arrangement on top of it. The plan was that they carried the coffin to what would be the last rest place of Ray, underneath a beautiful cherry blossom, and the group would head to a room after that. Once they would arrive there, there would be condolences and drinks. Probably also some cookies. There would be music, one single song. It would be played when the coffin began its journey into the hole in the ground. It would end halfway the ceremony, in which the coffin would be covered in fertile soil.

Next year, there would be flowers that covered his father's grave. Roses, irises, lilies, violets and many more. The grave would be a beautiful place in the spring, the bright colors of the flowers and a blooming cherry blossom tree.

Right now it was just a lonely piece of earth, though. A hole in the ground in front of a bare tree.

The group slowly walked towards the tree, the gravel scrunching underneath their shoes with each step they took. The last part of their walk was over grass, it had been cleaned of all snow for the occasion. The men put the coffin on the ground next to the grave, an employee of the cemetery attached the cable with which it would be lowered into the earth.

Everyone took their places in front of the grave, family standing in the front, then came Ray's friend and at last his colleagues. Ilse and Kristoph stood in front of everyone, both dressed in black and silence.

There was a priest, although neither of the two was religious. There was a part of the family that was, though, it was for them.

He stepped forwards and turned to the crowd, the grave was just in front of him.

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:  
>A time to be born, and a time to die.<br>A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted.  
>A time to break down, and a time to build up.<br>A time to weep, and a time to laugh.  
>A time to mourn and a time to dance.<br>For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." The priest began to speak.

His voice carried far and loud, though comforting and kind at the same time.

"I now speak for the Father's son, Ray Anthony Gavin, when I saw the following:

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow,

I am the sun on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the soft starlight at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there; I did not die."

After his short speech and after making the sign of the Cross and mumbling 'Amen' the priest stepped back.

Before they knew it music could be heard, the gentle notes of a piano filled the silence.

A young man in his twenties slowly began to pull on the rope that would lift the coffin from the ground. He pulled slowly and carefully, there was no rushing.

"_Did I disappoint you or let you down?_

_Should I be feeling guilt or let the judges frown?_

'_Cause I saw the end before we'd begun, _

_Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won."_

Ilse Gavin, a widow now, turned her gaze to the ground. She didn't wish to weep, though she knew it wouldn't stop the tears.

She would be alone from now on, in everything. He had supported her with everything, he had loved her with all his heart.

"_So I took what's mine by eternal right._

_Took your soul out into the night._

_It may be over but it won't stop there,_

_I am here for you if you'd only care." _

Kristoph looked straight ahead, his eyes were dry while he listened to the words. His father wouldn't be there anymore, it were all lies.

Yes.. Ray had took a part of his soul, the part that could be happy. It was in a better place now, a brighter place. But the part that was left of him here in the world, on this earth, was cold and lonely.

"_You touched my heart, you touched my soul._

_You changes my life and all my goals._

_And love is blind and that I knew when, _

_My heart was blinded by you."_

Her tears finally began to silently stream down her cold cheeks, falling onto the ground. She wishes she was blind, blind for reality.

"_I've kissed your lips and held your hands._

_Shared your dreams and shared your bed._

_I know you well, I know your smell. _

_I've been addicted to you."_

The little boy in black closed his eyes, he seemed calm but fragile. He no longer had a father to look up to, his mother had turned her back to him.

When he opened his eyes again, he looked at the coffin in the air. It would soon begin its journey to the earth again.

"_Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend._

_You have been the one, you have been the one for me._

_Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend._

_You have been the one, you have been the one for me."_

There was no love left for both of them, so they thought. No more strong arms to hold them at night when they were scared or simply couldn't sleep.

"_I am a dreamer and when I wake, _

_You can't break my spirit, it's my dreams you take._

_And as you move on, remember me,_

_Remember us and all we used to be."_

There was nothing left..

"_I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile._

_I've watched you sleeping for a while._

_I'd be the father of your child._

_I'd spend a lifetime with you."_

'He did..' she thought. But not for her. It had been his lifetime, the last years he had left.

Her dear Ray wouldn't be there to see his sons grow up anymore.

"_I know your fears and you know mine._

_We've had our doubts but now we're fine,_

_And I love you, I swear that's true._

_I cannot live without you."_

But he was still alive. He was right there, before his father's grave. The same grave that would soon contain the coffin of his old man. The father who had loved and hugged him, spend time with him.

"_Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend._

_You have been the one, you have been the one for me._

_Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend._

_You have been the one, you have been the one for me._

_And I still… Hold your hand in mine._

_In mine when I'm asleep._

_And I will… Bare my soul in time,_

_When I'm kneeling at your feet."_

If he would be kneeling, it would be as a ghost. An invisible shell that had contained life in earlier years. He might be watching them all at that moment, standing close to his two more precious people. His wife. His son.

"_Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend._

_You have been the one, you have been the one for me._

_Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend._

_You have been the one, you have been the one for me._

_I'm so hollow, Baby. _

_I'm so hollow._

_I'm so… I'm so.. I'm so hollow."_

She was hollow.

"_I'm so hollow, Baby._

_I'm so hollow._

_I'm so… I'm so.. I'm so hollow."_

He was hollow.

The coffin came to rest on the ground, the cables were released and pulled up. Ilse was the first one to step forwards, tears still falling down her face.

She took a hand of dirt and looked at the last bed of her husband.

"Ray… You are a man nobody can replace… at least not in my heart." While she spoke those words, she released the dirt which fell on the coffin. Then she stepped back, to make place for her son.

Kristoph also took some dirt, though it was less than his mother had taken.

He didn't speak, only released.

At the moment that the dirt hit the coffin the first snow of the day fell down from the sky. One of the snowflakes landed on his face.

It melted soon, creating an illusion everyone present on that day would keep believing.

Kristoph Gavin cried that day. But he didn't cry for his father, it was the melting snow rolling down his cheek.


	6. A little happiness

Sorry for the really, really, really short chapter! And for the time this in fact took...

Anyway, I needed this to be able to continue with the more serious part of the story. Which I will try to write soon, don't worry. I've got the idea and I know how I want to do it.

Something like this won't happen again, I promise!

* * *

><p>Assassin of Smiles: Chapter 6<p>

"Men are equal; it is not birth but virtue that makes the difference." - Voltaire

Disclaimer: I do not own the Ace Attorney characters appearing in this story. The story itself is completely mine. Any connections to real life are purely accidently.

4 long years passed, full of mixed feelings in the Gavin family. A darkness seemed to rule the house, a silence filled the rooms. In those long years there had only been a few moments of happiness, one of them was the birth of the newest member.

Klavier Gavin was 4 years old now and yet another reminder of Ray for both Ilse and Kristoph, he could be Kristoph's twin if it wasn't for the age difference. He loved his mother more than anything, this young toddler, something that annoyed Kristoph more than anything. She should not be receiving any love.

Kristoph, 12 now, had just started his first year in high school, 6 to go. Over the years he had grown taller, muscular.

His results were better than ever, working on his school work was a way to keep him away from home and to keep him busy. He wouldn't allow his thought to wander around and reach memories that should be forgotten. He had dwelled in the past long enough to know it wasn't important anymore.

It was like family bonds.

Kristoph didn't understood the whole issue of family anymore, what made them different than others? Just because you shared the same blood didn't mean you weren't as human, as vulnerable even, as others.

People talking about the importance of family were just tools to be manipulated, Kristoph thought. Why not use that weakness of theirs, that flaw in their thoughts, for your own good?

"Klavier, I'm studying. Could you leave me alone?" Kristoph said, he was sitting on the couch in the living room. His brother was trying to get his attention by pulling the book out of his hands whenever he had the chance.

"But Krissy.. Wanna play." The toddler said, his big eyes staring into the blue ones of his brother.

"I don't have time to play, I have a test tomorrow."

Klavier was quiet for some time and Kristoph hoped he had given up, but it was far from that. He could hear a soft sniff.

"But Krissy.. I wanna.." Klavier sniffed again, tears creeping up in the corners of his blue eyes, "I wanna play with you.."

Kristoph froze, he couldn't stand seeing Klavier crying. It was too adorable to see, awful.

"D-Don't cry.. Come on, Klavier, don't be like this.." he said softly, trying to take his eyes of the crying child.

"B-But..!" At that point Klavier really started to cry loudly. "I-I.. KRISSY!" The little boy lowered himself on the ground and sobbed like his life depended on it, tears were streaming down his face and onto his clothes.

"Alright, alright! But please calm down, Klavier.."

The toddler directly obliged, a big smile spreading over his face. "I wanna play hide and go seek." His tone was slightly demanding. "Count."

Kristoph let out a deep sigh but nodded. "Sure, I'll count." He closed his eyes while placing his book on the table. "1… 2… 3…."

Klavier stood up and walked across the room, he looked around to find the best place to hide ever. Krissy would never find him.

"…20. I'm coming." Kristoph opened his eyes and looked around carefully.

'Too easy..' he thought when spotting the little kid next to the fireplace. He was facing towards the wall and half covered from view by a basket with wood.

"Hm.. I wonder where Klavier is." Kristoph said loudly, a soft giggle from the fireplace making it even more obvious. "This truly is a difficult game."

"Come out, come out, wherever you are, Klavier." He said in a sing-song voice. "Never! You're not gonna find me!" Klavier shouted, before seeing what he did.

"Oeps.." he said softly, his voice quiet and cute.

The two brothers spend the rest of the day like that, playing different games and escaping reality. Their lives seemed to be peaceful and free of worries, for now at least. Neither of the two knew that it would soon change dramatically.


	7. The scar of memories

Assassin of Smiles: Chapter 7

"I love treason but hate a traitor." - Julius Ceasar

Disclaimer: I do not own the Ace Attorney characters appearing in this story. The story itself is completely mine. Any connections to real life are purely accidently.

While days and nights slowly passed there was a tension growing in the house, like a dark cloud that disturbed the blue sky and gave notices to an upcoming storm. A traitorous, dangerous storm that would leave nothing and nobody untouched.

It was nighttime when the storm finally hit the Gavin mansion. Ilse had yet to go to bed, so the lights were on downstairs. They illuminated the first floor in a soft light and shone into Kristoph's bedroom. He was still awake, waiting for the moment that devil in disguise would go to bed and make way for very welcomed sleep for the boy.

He saw the light go off and heard footsteps climbing the stairs in a melodic rhythm. A door cracked while it was opened, no light was switched on so Kristoph assumed it was Klavier's room.

"Goodbye, my dear.." he heard Ilse say, although the thought of having misheard it crossed the boy's mind. Why say goodbye to go to sleep, after all?

She didn't came to Kristoph's room, something which he was glad off. The light in the bedroom of the devil itself switched on, leaving a bright trail of light to stream into Kristoph's room through a small window above the door. Then, a strange sound streamed in.

Somehow it reminded him of the zipper of something, the opening of drawers and doors, the rustling of clothes. Therefore he slipped out of bed, shivering when his bare feet hit the ground. He opened the door softly and stepped into the hallway, careful not to step on the places where he knew the floor would make noises. Slowly but without noise he managed to get closer to the door, close enough to peek in and see just what caused those noises.

Ilse was sitting in front of her closet, the drawers were spread out around her and the door was open and revealed the empty inside of the closet itself. Kristoph blinked in surprise, unsure what to think of the situation.

There were a couple of possible explanations and theories rushing through his mind, as he started to think about it he accidently replaced his foot. The cracking floor sounded even louder than it had ever sounded, echoing through the hallway and into his mother's room.

Ilse directly looked at the door, to see the oldest of her children peeking in. Her eyes grew big with surprise and shock. He found out.

"..What are you doing?" Kristoph asked, he tried his best to led his voice sound confident and apparently he succeeded. Ilse stirred for just a moment.

"That's none of your business, go back to bed." She said, trembling ever so slightly. The pair of scissors she used to cut her nails with shone at her feet, reflecting the light.

"What are you doing?" he repeated, this time making his voice loud and powerful.

"Packing, if you really want to know." Ilse smiled slightly. "Mother is going on a little break."

Suddenly Kristoph laughed for a moment, his laughter dry and certainly not humorous. "Don't make me laugh, Ilse Gavin." He said sternly. "You're leaving. Forever. You cannot fool me any longer."

Ilse sighed softly. "And you're here to tell me you would in fact care if I leave? Don't make me laugh, Kristoph! You don't care about me. You care as much about me as I care about you!" she shouted, no longer even remotely thinking about the smaller child that was sleeping in the other room.

"Indeed, I don't care about you." Said Kristoph. He couldn't and wouldn't admit that perhaps her words had hurt him ever so slightly, it meant the end of them pretending to like each other. "But that doesn't mean you have the right to leave. You have responsibilities! You have a _child_."

"Klavier.. He can go to an orphanage. It wouldn't matter to him, he'll get used to it soon enough." Ilse said, her eyes cast down onto her packed back full of clothes. "He won't remember."

Slowly the younger boy started to tremble in anger. Leaving? Sure. Leaving him? Better. Leaving Klavier, someone they both cared about for whatever reason, thinking he wouldn't care and wouldn't remember? Never. Klavier had the right to be happy, to grow up with people who cared deeply about him.

"You… I hadn't imagine that you could sink even lower.. You proved me wrong, though." He folded his hands into fists, trying to contain his anger. "You have no right to leave him. You're staying!"

The feeling rushing through his veins wasn't anything like he had ever felt before, or perhaps anything he would ever feel again. He didn't care about whether she stayed, in fact he didn't even mind it meant he would need to continue with a legal guardian, but to even suggest that Klavier would leave his side.. Unforgivable.

"I'm not st-" Ilse started, her mind was made up and wasn't going to change. She wouldn't stay a day longer in the presence of those two. They were memories, too painful memories. Kristoph started to look more and more like his father and Klavier would too, if he was given time. That sight was just too much to bear, it would mean Ray would be alive again. Alive again, but out of her reach. His sons weren't the man itself, no matter how much their appearance looked the same. They would be like ghosts to her, torturing her at night with painful memories.

"You are staying!" Kristoph shouted, his voice breaking because of the volume. He laughed himself at her in a desperate try to do something.. Anything..

Klavier had to be spared.

A scream peered the night, driven by her instincts Ilse had grabbed the scissors besides her and held them as a shield. A weapon even.

And a weapon it had been, the point went through the skin of Kristoph's right hand, deep into the flesh. It even cut some muscles.

Blood dripped onto the floor and onto Kristoph's pajamas. They would cause stains as memories. Not only on the clothes and the floor though, there would also be mental stains.

Stains and scars.

He pressed the hand against his chest, pressing as hard as he could to stop the bleeding. It was a wonder that Klavier still didn't seem to be awake.

"I.. I told you.." Ilse said slowly, he voice dripping with soft giggles. It sounded simply insane. "I told you I wouldn't be stopped… G-Goodbye.."

She laughed softly, tears streaming down her face and bloody scissors still in her hand. "Goodbye, goodbye.. Goodbye.." she softly sang that same word over and over again as she picked up her trunk and dropped the scissors on the floor.

"Goodbye.. Goodbye… Goodbye.."

The singing slowly disappeared, since Ilse went downstairs and left the house forever. She ran away from those everlasting memories, still singing ever so softly.

_Goodbye.._

Kristoph was still sitting on the floor five minutes later, holding his hand against his chest. He didn't notice the door slowly opening and a tiny shadow slipping in. The light casted shadows on the ground as the little one walked to the kneeling, wounded kid. Klavier slipped his tiny arms around his brother, offering comfort for something he didn't know and most likely wouldn't be explained. There were more things that weren't explained to him, like the strange thing that everyone seemed to have daddies, but not him. When he asked his mother about it, she had simply smiled at him and mumbled something.

"Krissy.." he said, keeping his voice down. "Why are you crying, big brother?"

"I'm not crying, Klavier.." the older one said, the tears of the sudden pain had vanished already and at this moment all that kept him sitting on that spot was the endless feeling of defeat. "Don't worry about me.."

Klavier nodded slightly, pressing his cheek into the warm back before him. "Krissy.. Where's mommy?"

"Well.." his brother started, he didn't seem to know what to say. "Klavier, you don't have to worry. I'm here."

"But where's mommy?"

"She's… Taking a little break." Kristoph nodded, as if he wanted to believe it himself. "Yes, she's taking a break. She will be back.. One day."

A smile lightened Klavier's face. His brother had reassured him and told him the truth, he was sure of it. Mommy would be back, Krissy was still here.. It couldn't get better.

They kept sitting like that for what seemed like hours, although it were only a couple of minutes. In the end Kristoph rose to his feet, still holding his hand. "Klavier, go back to bed will you? I need to make a quick phone call." His little brother nodded and ran out of the room, quickly trying to make his brother's wishes come true.

Kristoph went downstairs and indeed made a phone call, his hand couldn't stay this way. An ambulance came his way and the doctor put stiches to close the wound and bandaged the whole hand itself. He didn't ask what happened, the look of the child he was treating was far enough to warn him to never ask.

"..You'll need to go to the doctor to get those removed." The doctor said when he was done.

"…What?" the child's voice was soft and he seemed scared, the total opposite as what he used to be. "I don't want to.."

"But these stiches need to be removed, kid. Even your own doctor could do it. There isn't a need to go to the hospital or anything."

At that the child seemed to turn back into his self again. "Fine, then. I'll make an appointment."

Then the doctor left and the house turned quiet again. All lights were out, the moon the only source of light apart from the streetlights now.

"Don't worry, Klavier.." Kristoph said softly to himself. "I'll take care of you.. No matter what it takes, I'll keep you from harm."

At this moment the truth about Ilse meant harm for his younger brother… He wouldn't tell him. Not until it was absolutely needed.

He would keep him from to truth to keep him safe. It was best that way.


End file.
